Washing machine drive mechanism



Dec. 13, 1955 P E. GELDHOF ETAL WASHING MACHINE DRIVE MECHANISM Original Filed May 17, 1943 [UVE HLUFE Peerfdward 1T zzfzer E1;

United States Patentfifice 2,726,558 Patented Dec. 13, 1955 WASHING MACHINE DRIVE MECHANISM Peter Eduard Geldhof, Benton Harbor, and Luther Ringer, St. Joseph, Mich., assignors t Whirlpool Corporation, St. Joseph, Mich., a corporation of New York Original application May 17, 1943, Serial No. 487,240.

Divided and this application November 18, 1949, Serial No. 128,148

2 Claims. (Cl. 74-785) 1943, and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel drive mechanism for effecting a centrifuging operation by which the mass to be dried is whirled at a relatively low angular speed of rotation for a predetermined time interval, following which it is whirled at a relatively high speed of rotation until the articles are dried.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel transmission and drive means for driving the clothes container and remove the cleansing fluid slowly therefrom by rotating the ,same at a relatively .low speed of operation for a predetermined time, thereby virtually eliminating the frothing or foaming of the cleansing fluid which effects the rate of drainage of the fluid from the machine, and thereafter, removing the remainder of the fluid from the clothes or the like contained inthe container by rotating the sameat a relatively high speed.

Another and still further object ofthe present invention is to provide a novel transmission and drivemeans forthe clothes container of a laundrymachine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a transmission means which is automatically shiftable in the course of the drying operation froma low speed to a full or high speed drivefor theextractor'unit.

Still anotherobject of the present inventionis to provide transmission means which is automatically shiftable to actuate the extractor unit at two different speeds, although the drive shaft ofthe transmission means is driven ata constant angular speed.

The novel features which we believe to be characteristic of our invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Our invention itself, however, both :as to its organization, manner of construction and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 represents a plan zview vof the transmission with parts in elevation and broken away:

Figure 2 is an end-elevation of a portion of the transmission of Figure 1;

Figure 3 'is a section taken alongthe line 'III-JII of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a section as seen from the line IV-IV of Figure l; and

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic representation of a typical electrical circuit for the control mechanism associated with the transmission unit of Figures 1 to 4, inclusive.

Turning now to the details of transmission 46 as best seen from Figures 1 to 5, inclusive, it will be noted that 2 said transmission 46 comprises a case 48 made up of upper and lower castings 49 and 50, respectively, held together as by bolts 51. 'The shaft 42 is journaled in an internal boss 52 and an external boss '53 of the lower casting of the transmission case 48 (Figure ;1) and extends horizontally from one side to the other .of said case. An oil-retaining ring 54 is provided in the bore of boss 52 and encircling the shaft 42.

Rotatably mounted on and disposed intermediate of the ends of shaft 42 is the member 55. Said member 55 is retained in proper axial disposition on the shaft 42 between a sun gear 56 which is keyed or otherwise suitably secured to said shaft 42 and a washer 57 which abuts the internal boss 52. A plurality of planetgears 58 are rotatably mounted upon pins 59 which are threaded into or otherwise secured to flanged portion 60 of member 55 in such fashion that said planet gears 58 will rotate in,

an orbital path about the sun gear 56. As shown iniFigure 3, the planet gears 58 not only mesh with sun gear 56 but also with the internal gear :teeth .61 which are cut into the inner periphery of a flanged ,member 62.also mounted on shaft 42 and advantageously disposedbetween sun gear 56 and a drum.63 which is also secured .to said shaft 42 as by means ofa set screw 64.

Disposed loosely about the external periphery of the flanged member 62 and retained axially thereof between spaced annular rims 65, 65 is a spring 66 one end of which is fixed as by means of a bolt 67 to the wall of the lower casting 50 of the transmission case (Figure '3 A substantially similar flat spring 68 encircles the periphcry of drum 63 and also extends about the generally cylindrical shank portion 69 .of the flanged member 62 being retained axially with respect to drum 63 and shank portion 69 between an annular rim 70 on saidrdrum 63 and the annular flange of the flangedmemberfiZ.

One end of the spring .68 adjacent rim 70 of drum 63 and indicated by reference character 71 is bent upwardly so that it extends substantially radially with respect to said drum 63. Bent-up portion71 of spring 68 i s a dapte d to engage hook portion 72 of an arm73 whichis'adYal tageously fitted into a slot 74 in a spindle 75.and secured thereto as by a snap ring '76. Spindle 75 is adapte dto be rotated in an external boss'77 on'lower casting 5 0 of transmission case 48 through which it extends. A'lever arm 78 is attached to the portion of spindle 75 which protrudes from the boss 77 in such fashion that it will, when its outermost end'is raised or lowered as by means of a plunger 79 of a solenoid 80 connected thereto, rotate said spindle 75 through a limited arcuate path thereby causing hook portion 72 of the arm 73 to engage or disengage the bent-up portion 71 of spring 6 (See Figure 4). i

A soienoid 36 may be mountedon the exteriorof the lower casting 58 of the transmission case 48 and may be connected by suitable conductors (not shown.) to an electrical circuit such as that illustrated vin part in Figure 5 of the drawings. The circuit includes two power lines 81 and 82, a switch 83, the motor 34, a thermostatic switch and the solenoid 84); It will be understood that this circuit may advantageously form partto'f thatshown and described in detail in our iUnite'd'States Patent No. 2,347,190, and referred to as the control circuit, the function of which is to energize and time the sequence of operations performed by the several parts of the auto- The sun gear 56, keyed to the shaft 42 and rotating in 3 a clockwise direction as seen in Figure 3, meanwhile meshes with and drives the planet gears 58 rotatably mounted upon the flanged portion 60 of the member 55 '11] a counterclockwise direction (see arrows, Figure '3).

The spiral gear 86, carried by the member 55, in turn, meshes with the gear 87 so as to drive the stub shaft 92.

The planet gears 58 engaging the gear teeth 61 on the inside of the flanged member 62 tend to drive the flanged member 62 in a counterclockwise direction, which causes spring 66 to wind tighter upon its external periphery. The spring 66, the end of which is fixed to the wall of the lower casting 50 of the transmission case 48, prevents the flanged member 62 from rotating and holds it substantially stationary. As a result of the gripping action of spring 66 which holds flanged member 62 stationary, the planet gears 58 travel around the teeth 61 in said flanged member 62 and cause the member 55 to rotate as a whole in a clockwise direction.

Thus, it will be seen that the driving effect of the constantly rotating drive shaft 42 of the transmission 46 is transmitted to the member 55 on which the spiral gear 86 is mounted through the fact that the planet gears'58 trace the internal gear teeth 61 of flanged member 62 while it is held against rotation.

At the conclusion of a predetermined time interval, the electrical current passing through the power lines 81 and 82 causes the bimetallic switch 85 to close and excite the magnetic field of the solenoid 80 raising the plunger 79 thereof. The raising of the plunger 79 raises the end of lever arm 73 and disengages the hook portion 72 thereof from the bent-up end portion 71 of the spring 68. The spring 68 upon being freed tends to tighten about the drum 63 and the shank portion 69 of flanged member 62 thereby coupling the two members together and throwing the direct drive from the shaft 42 into the operation of the flanged member 62 and causing the latter immediately to rotate clockwise with shaft 42 (see Figure 1).

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a clutch and brake mechanism for effecting a plural speed drive, a drive shaft, a driven member freely rotatable on said shaft, a casing freely mounted on said shaft and having a hub, planetary gearing driving said casing from said shaft and said driven member from said casing, a drum forming a continuation of said hub and secured to and rotated by said shaft and forming a reaction member for said planetary gearing, and two cooperating oppositely acting springs forming a one-way brake and one-way clutch arranged to hold said casing from rotation in one direction and to effect a drive to said casing in an opposite direction, to drive said driven member at the speed of said shaft or at a predetermined lower speed, comprising a spiral spring fixed from rotation at one of its ends and encircling and wound around the outer periphery of said casing in one direction, a second spiral spring having engagement with said hub at one of its ends and wound around said hub and drum in an opposite direction to the direction said first mentioned spring is wound around the periphery of said casing, said second spring having a free end portion lying over said drum and forming an engaging tongue, and means for releasing said spring from said drum comprising a pivoted arm having an engaging end portion movable into position to engage said free end portion of said spring and hold said spring from rotation with respect to said drum and 4 unwind and release said spring therefrom, and a cyclically energized solenoid having an armature connected with said arm and energizable (6 move said arm into and out of the path of said free end portion of said second spring. 2. In a clutch and brake mechanism for controlling the transmission of power at a plurality of speeds, a drive shaft, a casing freely mounted on said shaft and having a hub, a drum forming a continuation of said hub and rotated by said shaft, and two oppositely acting springs forming a one-way brake and a one-way clutch arranged to effect a change in speeds, said one-way brake being effective to hold said casing from rotation in one direction and comprising a spiral spring fixed from rotation at one of its ends and encircling and wound around the outer periphery of said casing in one direction, said one-way clutch comprising a second spiral spring having engagement with said hub at one of its ends and wound around said hub and drum oppositely from the direction said first mentioned spring is wound about the periphery of said casing, said second spring having a free end portion lying over said drum and having an engaging tongue projecting outwardly therefrom in a radial direction, and means for releasing said spring from said drum comprising a solenoid having an armature, a pivot shaft spaced from said armature, an arm on said shaft having pivotal connection at its free end with said armature for pivoting said shaft upon energization of said solenoid, a second arm on said shaft having a laterally projecting engaging end portion biased into position to engage said tongue of said second spring upon energization of said solenoid to hold said second spring from rotation with respect to said drum and unwind and release said spring from said drum, and effect a drive at one speed, and movable upon energization of said solenoid to release said free end portion of said second spring and effect a drive at a different speed.

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